When the Mega Millions game changed its format in October it affected players in a couple of ways.

The good news is that more Mega Millions players than ever are taking home some money as a result of buying a ticket. Jackpots are also getting larger and growing faster.

The bad news is that even though the amount of the biggest prizes has grown, the astronomical odds of winning the eight and sometimes nine-figure jackpots have grown even more infinitesimal.

That's because five numbers are now drawn from a pool of 75 white balls, as opposed to the 56 that were available prior to Oct. 19. The number of gold Mega Balls, however, decreased to 15 from 46. The tweak pushed the odds of winning the jackpot from about 175 million to 1 to about 259 million to 1.

A ticket, which still costs $1, unlike a now $2 Powerball ticket, must match five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win the jackpot.

However, no one in the 43 states, District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands has won the big Mega Millions prize since the switch took effect for the Oct. 22 drawing.

On a positive note for players, the minimum second prize, which is won by hitting five numbers but not the Mega Ball was bumped from $250,000 to $1 million. A pre-tax payout of up to $5 million is possible if the ticket buyer chooses the Megaplier option.

The minimum Mega Millions jackpot rose to $15 million from $12 million and is guaranteed to increase by at least $5 million for each drawing that passes without a jackpot winner.

The last jackpot winner was Oct. 1, when a Maryland man who chose to stay anonymous matched all the numbers in a $186 million drawing. Since then 20 drawings have passed without a jackpot winner.

In the meantime, players in New Jersey will have to be content with their small winnings.

According to New Jersey lottery officials, in the 13-week period from October 22 to December 3, 211 percent more players have had a winning experience than in the prior period from September 6 to October 18.

Year-over-year, 439 percent more players have won prizes, lottery officials said. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 14.8, according to the Mega Millions website.

The biggest Mega Millions winner in New Jersey since the game was altered came Tuesday with a $1 million ticket bought at ShopRite in Manchester. There were more than 5.6 million tickets sold for that drawing, a 21 percent increase in ticket sales from the Dec. 6 drawing.

Friday's drawing will be worth at least $400 million, with a cash option of $216 million. It's the largest jackpot of the year and the second-highers in the Mega Millions history.